Teachers in film: A narrative study of schoolteachers in cinema.

摘要

Beginning with the production of Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1939, American audiences have been exposed to feature films presenting the life and work of teachers. In the sixty years since Mr. Chips , popular culture has taken an increasingly significant role in contributing to the meaning making of Americans. This study explores the question: What is the narrative of K–12 teachers and teaching as portrayed in film between 1939–1999?; This study examines a cross-section of films selected from a compiled list of twenty-nine teacher-centered films. In contrast to existing research which typically examines the film depictions as archetypes and restricts its comments to the accuracy with which film mirrors the profession, this study investigates the narrative of teachers and teaching that emerges in film—that is, the contextualized story of the teacher.; The four sources I used to collect and analyze data on the film narratives included film viewing, film scripts, interviews with filmmakers, historical documents, and published research and reviews. Additionally, an Interpretive Community comprised of five diverse teachers was used in order to deal with issues of interpretive validity and to offset researcher biases.; I argue that filmmakers consistently weave six themes though the film narrative: (1) Schools are both sanctuaries and battlefields; (2) All students deserve the best possible education; (3) Teachers, in the lives of students, serve as the primary adult who connects ideals with courage, morals with behavior, knowledge with action, hope with a future; (4) Schools are compliance-driven, conformist, intractably bureaucratic institutions; (5) Teaching is a profession which casts teachers as Davids versus a Goliath task and bureaucracy; and (6) Teaching is a profession of continual beginnings.; As a teacher educator it is my conviction that these films, their narratives, and critical analysis of them, can provide an innovative and fruitful way of educating new and experienced teachers. With the VCR revolution of the 1980's, the public, including teachers and prospective teachers, have increased access to film narratives about teachers. If Giroux (1997) is correct in describing movies as “pedagogical forces, veritable teaching machines,” now is the time to tune in and investigate.